Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I commend the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality, of which I am a member, on the publication of this important report. We held a number of meetings at which we invited delegates to give evidence on the issues of community policing and rural crime. I thank all those who gave of their knowledge, expertise and assistance to the committee. I thank the Chairman, Deputy Ó Caoláin, and commend him on the excellent work he did in chairing the hearings. I thank all members of the committee for their contributions. I have only been a member of one Oireachtas committee, but the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality has worked very effectively. Oireachtas committees sometimes receive negative coverage in the press which on many occasions is well justified, but those who appear before the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality are treated respectfully and its members discuss issues collaboratively to try to identify the best solutions. There will obviously always be party allegiances, but committee members work as a collective, rather than as members of separate political parties.

On community policing and rural crime, as Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson, I know from travelling around the country that it is a source of great concern for many people in rural as well as urban communities. One thing stands out with reference to the meetings I have attended. Every local community wants to see more members of An Garda Síochána in their area and on the streets. It is slightly unusual compared to the situation in many countries where the police force is seen as a law enforcement agency which locals find oppressive, but that is not the case with An Garda Síochána. That is the positive basis on which we can build policy on An Garda Síochána.

Notwithstanding the scandals that existed in respect of the force, there is still very significant confidence in the community in An Garda Síochána and members of the community want to see gardaí out on the streets. That is not just something one hears from people at grassroots level; we know that many reports have been done on the Garda, including by Mr. Justice Charleton in the tribunal in Dublin Castle or by the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland. All the reports indicated that there is a desire in that regard and that there should be an objective to ensure that we get more gardaí out on the street so that they are much more visible than usual.

In terms of community policing, we need to recognise that we can do more than simply put further gardaí on the street. The Garda need to improve its reliance upon technology. Where there are CCTV cameras there is a greater sense of security among local communities because they feel as though people cannot go onto the streets in the area and engage in unlawful or anti-social behaviour without the risk of being apprehended. I am aware the Government introduced a CCTV scheme and everybody recognises that we need to try to make it more user-friendly so that people in local communities can avail of the scheme without it being too complicated for them.

People must recognise, as they increasingly do, that the public has an important role to play in assisting An Garda Síochána. No matter how many criminals there are in the country, there are many more decent, law-abiding people who want to ensure that the law is upheld. We know that people have WhatsApp groups for their local area, neighbourhood, village or even road or street. They are very effective in sharing information among members of the local community. We must ensure that the Garda take a collaborative approach in respect of that so the information is provided to An Garda Síochána if there are threats or dangers in an area.

Rural Garda stations constitute a controversial political issue. We can agree on one thing in that regard, namely, that people want their local Garda station to remain in their locality. One could have an individual looking at a spreadsheet who says there is no need for a Garda station in a certain area as there is another one close by, but that has a big impact on the confidence of people in the local community and in An Garda Síochána. People want to see more gardaí on the streets and they want to preserve rural Garda stations.

I do not intend to spend too much time speaking on this important issue but I hope the Minister will give consideration to the report. Much effort went into it and it does not contain knee-jerk recommendations. All of them have been considered carefully. It would be appropriate if the Minister and the Government reflected on them and continued what I believe is the objective of all Members of this House, namely, to ensure that we have more community gardaí out on the streets and that people in rural areas, and urban areas, feel a greater sense of confidence and security.

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